Series Review: Masters of Love by Leisa Rayven

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Mister Romance (from Goodreads):

Max Riley is the man of your dreams. Or at least he will be, for a price.

As his alter-ego Mister Romance, Max is a drop-dead gorgeous escort who makes romantic fantasies come to life. No sex, just swoon-worthy dates to die for, and the cream of New York’s socialites can’t get enough. Whether they want a dominating billionaire, bad boy with a heart of gold, hot geek, sexy biker, or best friend who loves them from afar, Max can make it all happen, but he’s careful to keep his real identity a secret.

Enter investigative journalist Eden Tate. Having caught wind of the urban legend of Mister Romance from a lovestruck client, Eden is determined to publish a scathing expose on Max and his ability to swindle lonely society women out of their fortunes.

Desperate to protect his anonymity and his clients, Max challenges Eden to give him three dates. If she doesn’t fall in love with him, she can run her story with his blessing. If she succumbs to his charms, the story dies.

Cynical Eden has no doubt she can resist his fake romance personas, but when the real Max admits he’s falling for her, she has to decide if the professional liar is telling the truth, or if the passionate man with the mysterious past is just one more character designed to con her out of her career-making story.

SERIESous’ Top Picks: Must Read Author
Series: Masters of Love
Author: Leisa Rayven
# of Books: 3  (Full Reading Order)
Book Order: Connected
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Heat Rating: warm
Point of View: First Person, Single
Publication Dates: April 2017 – June 2022
Source & Format: Public Library–Audiobook (#1-2); Kindle Unlimited–eBook (#3)

**This post was originally published as a Series Review of the first few books of the series. It has now been updated to include the newest publications in the series.**

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I ADORED Leisa Rayven’s Starcrossed Series. Honestly, no one does romantic angst better so I was eager to read her future works when I wrapped that series up.

The premise of Mister Romance reads like a rom-com so I was very excited to take on this book (which later became a book series!).

The Plot:

Like I said about, these stories read like your favourite rom-com movie. There’s just the great blend of drama, twists, character growth, swoon-worthy moments and fun. I found myself so enthralled by the story and the characters. But unlike your favourite rom-coms, they weren’t entirely predictable so that gave them this refreshing taste.

The Characters:

It’s almost common practice nowadays to have a romance novel told from dual POVs and as I reader, I have to say I often prefer that. I find with dual POVs I get a better understanding of all the characters and their motives because we get to see inside their mind.

But Leisa Rayven’s characters never suffer from a single POV story. Her characters are just so rounded and strong that I have a great grasp of who they are as people even if I don’t get their POV.

The Romance:

This is the type of series that makes you believe in soulmates. While the physical timeline of their stories might have been on the shorter side, I thought the characters were so well rounded and that I knew them so well that the romantic matches were perfect.

My Audiobook Experience:

So I actually own Mister Romance for my Kindle but because I really needed a great audiobook pick-me-up, I decided to listen to the audio version—and I’m so glad I did. Not only is it narrated by Andi Arndt (seriously, one of the best audiobook narrators out there) but it’s just a great story that unfolds like a rom-com.

My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:

I’m not sure who the third novel will be about. I kinda hope it’s Joanna but I’d be happy for Toby as well.
I liked this but it didn’t wow me like I thought it would. It has been a long time since I’ve read the first 2 books in the series and I think I would have loved it more had I read them closer together to appreciate the cameos of the other couples and their stories.

–February 15, 2025– Book #3: Doctor Love

I warmed up to these two as the book progressed. A lot of their initial connection is just some innate unspoken thing but I came to appreciate that sometimes, you just feel an instant comfort with another person as soon as you meet them. As the dramatic plot takes off and these two work together, I liked watching them fall for each other despite their best efforts not to. I just think I struggled with the pacing of this book and sometimes the quirkiness was just a touch too much — maybe it was something I didn’t notice as much when I listened to the previous books vs reading the text and interpreting the words in my own head.